Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Todd's Theses (Thoughts) - Part 1

3. The Bible is living, breathing document that needs to be read, reread, interpreted and reinterpreted. Its truths are everlasting, but the way we understand and apply them will change. (Matt. 16:19)

4. To be a Christian requires all of our selves. There is no such thing as a “Sunday” Christian. (Luke 9:23)

5. Eternity is now. When we are baptized, we aren’t changed, cleaned and reconciled for tomorrow; we’re changed, cleaned and reconciled for the right now. We need to do everything in our power to bring heaven to earth for today, not earth to heaven for tomorrow.

6. Christ is bigger than politics. Conservative and liberal, republican and democrat, libertarian and socialist all find common ground in Christ. (John 14:6)

7. Worship is not about what I get it out of it.

8. Worship is not incorporated. Worship is life. There should be no such thing as a “worship service.”

9. The way we observe communion today is not the way it was observed in the Bible. (Acts 2:41-43)

12. You cannot be a Christian and ignore the fatherless and the widowed, the hungry and the naked, the lost and the ignored. (Matt. 25:35-45)

13. Seeing people based on negative attributes is not the way God sees us. Our identity is not in our failures; our identity is in Christ. (Eph. 4:10)

14. The question of “who will be saved?” is of little importance in the life of a Christian. The question should be “How can I show Christ in my life to everyone around me?”

15. The Christian faith is not an institution; it is a movement. We should spend less time, money and energy on maintaining the institution and more on carrying out Jesus’ vision for his disciples. (Matt. 28:19)

16. For too long the great commission has been the method rather than the vision. We are to make disciples, baptize and teach others to obey. We must be creative and relevant to carry out that vision. (Acts 17:22-34)

(Rob Bell and Brian McLaren created this list through their writings. I'm merely spewing my reactions.)